Entertainment

Koryn Hawthorne Is Most Improved On 'The Voice'

by Jessica Molinari

Koryn Hawthorne made it rain awesomeness tonight on The Voice. The 16-year-old performed an emotional rendition of Ed Sheeran's "Make It Rain" inspired by her family's struggle, and it was her best performance yet. Hawthorne has grown immensely throughout this season, and tonight's Top 10 performance showcased how far she has come both vocally and personally on this show. The young contestant is in her prime to reap all the amazing benefits this competition provides its artists and she's taking full advantage of it. Though Hawthorne may not win The Voice title, she will be in the running to win the title of "Most Improved" — which is the greatest thing that could happen for her.

Hawthorne is the youngest performer in this competition which is both a blessing and a curse. It's a curse because she lacks the experience that many of her fellow contestants have. She's not on the same vocal and performance level as her peers, and that is a major obstacle to overcome. But the blessing is that she's more open to the direction and advice coach Pharrell gives to her. Being that he is an amazing producer, there's really no one better for her to learn from.

Hawthorne doesn't have a great chance of winning — there's just so much amazing talent on this season to compete with. But she doesn't have to win to make it in this industry. Hawthorne is at a point in her life that she doesn't need to win The Voice. She's young enough for producers to still be interested in working with her. Look at artists like Taylor Swift and even Christina Aguilera — they got their starts really early on and weren't nearly as impressive as they are today. But producers were willing to work with them because they saw their potential. Hawthorne has the most potential of any contestant on this show. This is an amazing start for a singer with her talent and there's no doubt she'll go on to be very successful in the music industry. Win or lose, Hawthorne is just getting started.

Image: Tyler Golden/NBC